Transcript: Circulator Number One

August 6, 1 p.m., at a table outside the Rhodes Tower in downtown Columbus
Circulator would not give his name

C: "Are you a registered voter here in the state?"

S: "Yes I am."

C: "Good. Can we get your signature today here? We're trying to lower the payday interest loan rates here in the state. These guys are legal loan sharks and we want to regulate 'em... Can you help us get it on the ballot it and we vote on it?"

S: "Is this the payday lending one?"

C:  "Yes ma'am."

S: "I thought you guys were the one who wanted to keep the interest rates high.''

C: "Oh, no. no. no . . .    I'm the guy that want it to be 5 percent and give the guys 30 days, at 5% to pay it back, not 7 to 10 days. That's me."

S: "I thought this was the ballot issue about the 391% APR."

C: "Yep"

S: "So what would this do to the 391% APR?"

C: "This is going to regulate it to a 5 % rate, give the people 30 days to pay back instead of the 7 to 14 days. It's also going to limit 'em to four loans a year so people are not enabled by these guys, continue to loan sharks. We want fair business, put it on the ballot for people to decide if they want the fair business."

S: "So if you guys get the vote the way you want, would you still be allowed to charge 391% APR?"

C: "No ma'am. No ma'am. 5% do you want to see that it writing? 5% it'll be the max..."

S: "Are there two ballot issues?"

C: "No this is the one... These guys are not going to be able to charge 391 anymore."

S: "5% a year?"

C: "No ma'm.  5% for the life of that 30-day loan."

S: "What about the fees?"

C: "The fees?  You got 30 days to pay it back so that should eliminate the fees of the guys getting caught up in those late charges. They got 30 days, instead of 7 to 14 to pay back the loan....''

S: "Well, I read in the newspaper that you guys used to be allowed to charge (he interrupts)''

C: "No. I'm not with these guys. I'm a proponent that's trying to help the people because people like to use these. And we're not trying to take that away from them...."

S: "But you're being paid by who?"

C: "I'm not being paid. I'm a volunteer. I work for the Citizens Committee of Ohio."
(His co-worker talks over him)  "We work for the Citizens Committee of Ohio," she said.

C: (Back to the main person): "I'm here registering voters. I'm here to make a difference... I'm a retired uh, Naval veteran. I live off my pension."